Chocobolate Memories
by BikoNeko
Summary: A Zell and Quistis fanfic. After the defeat of Ultimecia, Quistis and Zell end up in a place with only each other to turn to. Their trip in time stirs up old memories but when Quistis seems to have forgotten, will Zell be able to take it?
1. Think of Me

Chocobolate Memories  
by BikoNeko/PokeSqrt 

* * *

Disclaimer: Final Fantasy VIII and its characters belong to Squaresoft, not I. 

Author's Notes: I was debating with myself whether I should make this a Seifer/Quistis or a Zell/Quistis, and I'm deciding that this will be a Zell and Quistis fic. So that's gonna be it. And if anyone's wondering about my other fics...well, I'm kinda having writer's block. Sorry! ^^ Anyway, hope you like this! I don't really think it's all that good because it may seem a little too rushed or something but...whatever. This is pretty much a prologue and there are a lot of gaps in the first chapter, but they will be filled in later. ;-) And a very special thank you to Sakui (AKA Sad-Dream) who agreed to read my story in case there were mistakes (and there's a lot of them!)! 

* * *

PART 1 Think of Me 

"M...mm...ugh...ah!" Quistis Trepe woke up with a startle, and found herself gasping for breath. One moment, she was being attacked by Chocobos and the next, she was in her bed, back in Balamb Garden. 

_'Why do I keep getting the same dreams every night...?'_ she wondered. She sighed and got up. _'Anyway, today's the field exam. I should get ready.'_

~*~*~*~

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Zell Dincht woke up, finding himself covered in sweat and panting for breath. "Shit!" He shook his head to make sure that there weren't any Chocobos around. 

_'A dream?'_ He sighed with relief. _'A dream.'_ He took a deep breath and got up. _'Today's the field exam anyway. There ain't no time to be worrying about some stupid dream.'_

~*~*~*~

_'Shit, I'm sweating...'_ Zell looked around the Garden Car, at his fellow Squad B members. Squall, still as a statue next to him, Seifer, languidly laid out on his seat like a cat in the heat, and...and... He gulped. Instructor No. 14, Quistis Trepe. 

"S-So, Squall, ya get a good night's sleep?" he asked, trying to divert his thoughts from the young instructor. He thought she was very pretty, and admitted to himself that he had a bit of a crush on her, but he really didn't want to think of it as anything other than a physical attraction. He was seventeen, every seventeen-year-old boy got hooked up on some girl sometime in his life, right? He had already managed to convince himself that it was the hormones, and he desperately tried not to think about her anymore because he was scared of what would happen if he let his feelings grow. He never had a crush before, and liked to think of it as a phase he was going through. Kind of like the strange Chocobo dreams he was having that would pass sooner or later. 

"..." 

"Uh...yeah..." That Squall sure was hard to get through. Hopefully, Instructor Trepe wasn't like him. She seemed very fond of him and practically knew his every response. _'Oh no, I'm thinking about her again... No, no, NO!!!'_ "S-So, uh..." He tried to think of something to say. "I had a weird dream last night. Do ya know if there are people who eat Chocobos?" 

Squall stared at him. "What the heck are you talking about?" 

"W-What? It was just a question. 'Cause in my dream, there were all these brown Chocobos and I was eating them! I'm like, what the hell???!!!" 

"...That's sick." 

"Hey, it ain't my fault Chocobos are attacking me in my dreams!" 

Quistis suddenly tilted her head up to listen to more of the conversation. _'Attacking Chocobos? That's...'_

"...Whatever," replied Squall, concentrating his attention back to the floor. 

"What a dumbass..." Seifer muttered under his breath. 

"...Jerk," Zell growled, giving the blond man the evil eye. "Yo, Squall. Show me your gunblade, will ya?" 

".........." 

"C'mon, man!" 

".........." 

"Just a peek!" 

".........." 

"Tch, fine... Yeah, yeah. Why you bein' so selfish? Scrooooge!" 

".........." 

"Say somethin', will ya!? W-What's on your mind?" 

"...Nothing." 

"...Nothing," Quistis said simultaneously. 

"..........." Zell took a sudden interest in looking at his Metal Knuckles. _'Instructor Trepe certainly is paying a lot of attention to Squall... Is she gonna talk to me?'_ He got up and began punching at the air, hoping she would take notice of him. 

"Stop that... It's annoying," Seifer commanded. He then smirked a little and added, "...Chicken." 

"WHAT DID YOU CALL ME!?" 

"Heheheh..." 

"Knock it off!" the instructor scolded. 

Zell felt heat rise up to his cheeks and obeyed. He sat down and glared at Seifer. _'That...that damn Seifer...that jerk! Now Instructor Trepe's gonna think I'm some kind of a hooligan...just like him!'_ For the remainder of the drive to Balamb, the martial artist sat down, quiet, in his seat. 

~*~*~*~

It had only been a few months since he had become part of the elite mercenary force, SeeD, and the same went for the leader of the group. He had never expected that he would find himself so close... This was SeeD's ultimate goal and they were about to fulfill it. 

_'This is it...'_ Zell looked up at the castle. _'This is the moment I've been waiting for... Finally. Ultimecia...'_

"This the moment we've all been waiting for," Squall said. "It's now or never. We fight with everything we've got." 

"Right," Quistis nodded. 

"We'll kick her ass!" Zell said. 

"And when we defeat her..." Squall continued. "We'll meet...at Edea's House." 

Quistis nodded in agreement and turned her head to meet Zell's gaze. She smiled, and he returned the gesture. 

_'We have to defeat her...'_ Zell thought. _'There's still so many things I have to do... She needs to know that I...'_

~*~*~*~

After what seemed like eternity, they had finally come face to face with the sorceress Ultimecia in her true form. Just a few more hits... Quistis was determined that they would defeat her. 

She stared at Squall. His eyes met hers, and he nodded to her reassuringly. She cast Recover on him and he stepped forward to deal the final blow to the sorceress. But before Squall could attack, Ultimecia cast Apocalypse. She wanted to rush over to Squall and helped him but the other young man caught her eye. 

_'Zell!'_ He was keeled over and blood was trickling down his face. "Z-Zell, I--" 

"KYAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Squall lifted his gunblade over his head and attacked with Lionheart. 

"And..." Before Ultimecia could finish her speech, she blew up in a massive explosion that engulfed everyone in a white light. 

~*~*~*~

The bright light surrounded them, and then Quistis found herself floating...floating through time. She could hear her friends calling out to her and the voices gradually faded away. She ended up...somewhere. 

_'What...is this place?'_ Quistis looked around and could see nothing but desert. Gray, dark, barren desert land. "Is anybody here???!!!" she called out. "Squall! Selphie! Irvine! Rinoa!" She sighed. "Zell!" 

_'I...I don't know where I am... Where do I go now?'_

_"To Edea's House!"_

_'That's it! Squall said we'd meet there.'_ She closed her eyes tightly and visualized the orphanage by the sea. The lighthouse, the beach, the ocean, her home. Her friends, and... _'...H-Huh...? What?'_

Quistis opened her eyes to see billions of stars above her. She gasped and sat up. _'This is the roof of Edea's House...'_ She turned when she heard a noise. "Zell...?" 

~*~*~*~

"This isn't really where we belong," Zell said. He and Quistis were at Edea's House, but he was too busy concentrating on _where_ he was supposed to be that he never thought of _when_ he was supposed to be. They had both somehow ended up twelve years back in the past and this was confirmed when they saw their past selves up on the roof for a while. 

"I know...but...how do we do that? How are we gonna get back home? We're already here..." 

"Just close your eyes... Think of where you wanna be, when you wanna be. Think of the one you care for most. Here, hold my hand." 

"Okay..." Quistis reached out for him and two gloved hands grasped tightly at each other, fingers intertwining. "Are you sure we'll make it home? If we just close our eyes and think, would that be enough?" 

"I'm sure of it, Quistis." He stood up and pulled her along with him. "Close your eyes." 

"All right," Quistis replied hesitantly, closing her eyes. 

"Think of Edea's House. On this exact same rooftop we're on, except it's kinda worn out, and it's twelve years later. I'm seventeen, and you're eighteen. We just beat the sorceress and we're ready to meet our friends again. Selphie, Rinoa, Irvine, and..." He paused for a brief moment and hoped Quistis wouldn't wonder what was the matter with him. "Squall. Think of Squall. Think of the one you care for the most." 

"But, Zell..." 

"Quickly. Think!" 

"Zell, I don't know who I care for the most..." 

"Quistis...!" Zell opened his eyes to face her and found himself unable to tear away from her piercing stare. "If you don't know, then...just...just think of me." 

"All right..." She nodded, squeezing his hand tighter. "Okay. Let's go home." She gave him a reassuring smile that made him suddenly feel weak in the knees, and they were both surrounded by darkness. Her eyes grew wide and so did her strong grip on him. 

_'Quistis...?'_ Zell looked at her in utter amazement. This, probably, was the first time in his life he saw the strong and fearless Quistis Trepe, scared. He had always admired her for her bravery, and her strength; she had never shown any kind of fear, and she was everything he was not. From the way she lived her life, you would have thought that everything was handed to her on a silver platter. It was almost impossible to believe that she was just as afraid and insecure as him, if not more. Her eyes were shut tight and she was already embracing him to her. 

_'I want to be at Edea's House...'_ Zell sighed and pulled her closer to him. _'I want to see everyone. My friends, my family, my home... I want to be with the one I care for most... And I care for...'_

~*~*~*~

"Quistis... Quistis!" 

_'Wha... What?'_

"Oh god...no... Quistis, wake up!!! Can you hear me?? Please, open your eyes..." 

_'...Zell?'_ The blonde fluttered her eyes open to find herself staring at two azure orbs, beginning to well up with moisture. 

"Quistis!" Zell exclaimed. "You're alive...!" 

Zell made room for her, and she sat up. She looked around and could see a lighthouse nearby, and the deep blue sea all around. This place was familiar... She glanced over at Zell and could have sworn she had just seen tears fall from his eyes. 

"Zell?" she called out gently. "Are you all right? Why are you...crying...?" 

"I, uh..." His head was lowered and he quickly wiped his face onto his shoulder. He then looked up at her and flashed her his trademark toothy grin. "I'm just peachy, what're you talkin' about?" 

"Zell..." 

"I mean, why should I be cryin'? I'm really happy you're...you're safe..." 

"Thank you." 

"You're welcome." 

She smiled and stood up. "What is this place anyway? Is this Edea's House?" 

"Yeah," Zell replied, getting up. He stared at her as she continued to look around. 

"Why," she began, "are we on the roof?" 

"Don't you remember?" 

"Not really... Am I supposed to remember something? Because I don't really recall doing anything up here..." 

"You don't?" 

She shook her head no. "I don't know." 

"So you don't remember...that time...we..." He stopped and sighed. "Never mind. Let's just go see everyone."


	2. Someone in My Dreams

Author's Notes: Thanks to those who reviewed so far! If you don't like my fic and don't review it, that's all right with me. If you like it and review, I thank you a lot! I hope you enjoy! 

* * *

PART 2 Someone in My Dreams 

His cobalt blue eyes carefully scanned the area. Where _was_ everyone? A party was being held in celebration of the defeat of the sorceress, and in honor of him and the other "heroes", as they were now widely known as. But even in the party held especially for them, he could find no trace of any of his friends in the room full of people. 

"Good evening, Zell." 

Zell turned around to see the smiling face of the pigtailed library girl. "H-Hey...uh..." What was her name again? _'Oh no! Don't tell me you forgot her name! Geez, you knew her name before...'_ To save himself an awkward moment, he kept his mouth shut and left it at that. "Hey." 

"I heard you saved the world," she smiled. "You're so brave!" 

"Thanks," he nodded. 

"I think they're your favorite...so in honor of what you've done for everyone..." She left for a second and returned with a cart full of hotdogs. 

_'Oh my god...'_ It took a few moments for Zell to realize that he was literally drooling over the sight of the delicious hotdogs and the pigtailed library girl handed him a napkin to wipe the saliva down his chin. _'Well...I guess I can go look for them later. Who knows when I'll get an opportunity like this again???!!!'_

~*~*~*~

"Hi-hi!!! Selphie here!" The perky brunette held her new camcorder, courtesy of her dear Sir Laguna, in front of her as she waved at it. It would have been great if she could actually show her and her friends beat Ultimecia, but the party for it wasn't half bad. It would be really nice to have it all on film so that she could put it on her site. "So, we beat the sorceress and now, there's this great party! It's been awesome so far!" She then began looking around the room and found her friend standing around, drinking champagne, and watching Irvine make a fool out of himself. 

"C'mon, Quistis!" Irvine urged. "Dance! Yeah! Yeah!" 

Quistis looked him over with that 'I-don't-know-this-person-who-obviously-seems-as-if-he-just-escaped-from-a-mental-institution-so-don't-even-bother-asking-me' look on her face and put down her glass, at the same time just noticing that Selphie was taping them. She turned her direction to the camera and waved. 

"Hi, Quisty!" Selphie greeted, zooming in on the blonde. "How's the party going for ya?" 

"Er..." 

"Hey..." Irvine's head popped up and he then put his arm around Quistis' shoulders, pulling her closer. "Heya, Sefie!" 

"Let go of me, Irvine!" Quistis demanded, squirming away from the cowboy. She finally pulled away from his grip and she walked over to the headmaster. 

"Wha--?" Irvine tilted his head over to Quistis' direction with a bewildered look on his face. 

"Ah...Quistis," Cid greeted. 

"Good evening, Headmaster," Quistis nodded. 

"How are you doing?" 

"Fine, thank you. I feel just wonderful! This celebration seems to be going very well. It seems like ages since there's been any kind of festivities around here... It's good to see that a lot of people are putting the past behind them." 

"Good, good! I was worried that--" He paused and Quistis noticed that he was staring at something behind her. He raised his champagne glass and she turned around to see Selphie with her camcorder once again. "Wait, let me see where Edea is." Selphie moved her focus to the left and saw the Matron walking over to join her husband. "Here she is!" 

"Quistis," Edea smiled. "You look even more beautiful than the last time I saw you!" 

"Thank you very much," Quistis nodded. 

"She finally took off all those ornaments," Cid said. "It's been such a long time since we've seen you like that, Edea, don't you think so, Quistis?" 

"Yes," the blonde agreed. "But it doesn't look like you've changed at all." 

"Matron." Irvine stepped up and removed his hat as he bowed to Edea. 

"Hello, Irvine," Edea greeted. "My, you're so tall and handsome!" 

Selphie couldn't help but giggle at the comment, and everyone faced her. 

"Sefie..." Irvine grumbled. He approached her and reached for the camcorder. 

"Hey!" Selphie whined. "That's mine!!!" 

"C'mon, lemmie use it once in a while, Sefie!" 

"Oh, fine!" Selphie grabbed his hat and went to stand by her friend, Quistis. "Irvy...you're holding it the wrong way." 

"What?" 

Selphie motioned with her hands. "Turn it the other way." 

"Wha--Oh... Like this?" 

"Yeah, that's right." Selphie took Quistis by the arm and waved to the camera. "Hiiiiii!!!" 

It took Irvine a mere half a second to move his focus over to a group of giggling girls and he waved at them. "Hey, girls!!!!!" 

"Irvine!" Selphie's annoyed face appeared in front of the camera lens and the cowboy continued to follow her with the camcorder. "Now c'mon, let's go look for the others." Selphie took Quistis by the arm and they walked around, in search of their friends. "Oh, hey, Quisty! There's Zell!" 

"Oh! I almost didn't recognize him behind that mountain of hotdogs," Quistis laughed. 

"It was really more of a pain in the ass, really, to get the stuff for my weapon upgrade to Ehrgeiz," Zell said, with a mouthful of food. "But you know what was hard to do? When we were getting stuff for Quistis' weapon upgrade... Man, that Marlboro was tough... Do you know her? Quistis Trepe? She's the blonde woman in our lil' group of "heroes". I mean, not like I'd like to call myself one, but her, she--ack! Gah!!!" The martial artist started choking and grabbed for his glass of water, but found it empty. "KAH!!!" 

"Zell!" Selphie and Quistis rushed by his side and started beating on his back, trying to stop him from choking. 

"KAH!!! KAH!!! ACKKK!!!!!!!!" 

"Zell?" Selphie said. "You okay?" 

The food was finally dislodged from the poor blond guy's throat, but instead of a heartfelt sign of gratitude, he growled like an angry beast, giving them both the evil eye and he scared the two girls away. He then looked around and saw that he scared the pigtailed library girl, too. 

_'Damn!'_ First, he gave his object of affections the impression that he had become a monster, and now, he lost the chance of getting things off his chest to what's-her-name, the library girl. He looked up. He had the strangest feeling that... IRVINE WAS VIDEOTAPING HIM!!! He held up the frankfurter in his hand and hurled it at the man with the camera. 

"WHOA, man!!!" Irvine exclaimed, going off to find Selphie. 

"Sheesh!" Selphie muttered. "What's up with _him_? We were only trying to save his life!" She turned to the balcony. "Oh! It's Rinoa!" 

Irvine went to get a close-up of the raven-haired princess as she pointed to something in the sky, and the batteries went dead. 

"Hey, Sefie..." Irvine said. "What happens when there's, like a broken battery on the screen and everything goes black?" 

"Oh no! The batteries are dead!" Selphie cried as she took the camera from him. "C'mon, we gotta get some more!" And with that, the two left to get more batteries, not knowing that they were leaving one person behind... 

~*~*~*~

The blonde watched as Rinoa held up her hand to point at the sky. She went a little bit closer and changed her point of view to see what was going on. She knew it wasn't good to be nosy, but she just had a sudden urge to find out what was happening... 

"Look," she could hear Rinoa say. 

_'Now who is she talking to...?'_

She saw Rinoa's companion take her hand and bring her close for a deep kiss... 

_'SQUALL???'_ Quistis eyes widened as she saw the two engage in a passionate lip-lock and she forced herself to look away after a few moments of self-torture, watching them in their embrace. _'So he really does love her...'_ She knew that when they were at Trabia, she had convinced herself that her sisterly feelings for Squall were mistaken for something more, but it didn't mean that she didn't feel any kind of pain whenever she realized that she was not the one who made him happy. She missed him in the worst way, when she fought side by side with him, but knew she could never have him. If love was supposed to hurt more than this, then she could wait. 

_'I have to let you go now.'_ A small smile formed on her lips, and she took one last look at her beloved. 

"Hey, baby." 

~*~*~*~

_'Man, I'm such an ass...'_ Zell ran a gloved hand through his hair and continued to look for the blonde ex-instructor. _'What the hell was I thinking? Scaring her away like that... She must think that I'm a hooligan AND a grumpy old loser... Wha--Oh, there she is...'_ He swallowed the lump in his throat and tried to keep his cool as he walked towards her. _'Be cool, Dincht... Yeah... I'm cool... I'm as cool as a cool, ocean breeze... I'm as cool as cool lemonade on a hot, summer day... I'm as cool as ice cold ice, baby... Ice, ice baby... Yeah... I'm cool... Cool as ice...'_ "Hey, baby," he purred, not even thinking about what he was saying. 

"Oh my goodness!" Quistis gasped, as Zell sneaked up behind her. "Oh, Zell, it's only you. I'm sorry, you just kinda surprised me!" 

"Urk...!" Zell's face flushed up and he suddenly forgot what he was going to say. _'What the hell's wrong with you?! COOL, MAN, BE COOL!!!'_ "U-Uh...cool..." 'ACK!' 

"Um...okay?" Quistis cocked her head. "Are you all right? Is it really that hot in here?" 

_'You're supposed to be COOL! Dumbass!'_ "Y-You think I'm hot?" 

"You're sweating... That should mean something, right?" 

"I-I...I'm fine. I guess it is kinda warm here. You see, I did some of my moves 'cos people wanted to see 'em and I would hate to disappoint them." 

"Of course not." 

"S-So...you'd understand, right?" 

"Sure." 

"O-O-Okay... Cool." 

She nodded with a sigh. 

"Hmm...?" Zell stared into her unfocused eyes. "Quistis? Are you okay? You look kinda...sad." 

"N-No!" she protested. "I'm just fine." 

"You sure?" 

"Yeah," she nodded. Then, "Have you grown taller?" 

"Wh-What???" 

"I think... I was just somewhat taller than you and now...I can look straight into your eyes without looking down a little." 

"W-Well...I'm not sure... There wasn't really any time to check my height what with that deal with the sorceress and all..." 

"It doesn't come as a surprise to me, though. This should be about the time when you hit your growth spurt." 

"E-Eh?!?!?!" A subject so personal such about matters concerning..._his body_...brought a blush to his cheeks. 

"Pretty soon, I'll hurt my neck from having to look up at you all the time, huh? Then all the girls will be over you, and I'll feel so left out..." 

"That's not true, Quistis." 

"Oh, yes it is. You're not done growing up, Zell, and before you know it, you're gonna have to lock your doors because of those crazy fans of yours!" 

"Now you know that ain't true." 

"Speaking of girls, how are things with you and the pigtailed girl at the library? I saw you talking to her." 

"Th-That really isn't anything..." 

"You don't have to be so shy around me, Zell!" 

_'Wanna bet?'_

"Come on, what do you think of her?" 

"I...I dunno... She's nice." 

"Um..." 

"Quistis!" Selphie approached her friend then quickly hid behind her once she saw her companion. "Ack!" 

"Wh-What's the matter with you?" Quistis asked. 

"Zell!" Selphie then poked her head out and stuck her tongue out. "What's the big deal? We were only trying to save your life and then you go chasing us away!" 

"I-I'm sorry," Zell said. 

"Hmph," Selphie went up and poked him in the chest. "What's up with you? Was it because of that girl?" 

"Wh-What?" 

"You know...the pigtailed library girl." 

"What about her?" 

"I think you like her and you were angry at us 'cos you didn't want her to think you were a chicken-wuss because a couple of weak girls like me and Quisty saved your life!" 

"N-No!" He glanced at the ex-instructor. "I don't think you're like that!" 

"Well, that's how you made us feel like!" She turned to Quistis. "Right?" 

"I-I'm sorry then!" Zell quickly apologized. "Okay?" 

"Um.......okay then. We forgive you." 

"Now, Selphie," Quistis began. "I never--" 

"Off we go, then!" Selphie announced, grabbing Quistis' arm. 

"A-All right!" Quistis briefly brushed her hand across Zell's arm, not knowing that the contact made him jump back a little. "Bye." 

"Okay..." He weakly waved goodbye to her as she was drug into the crowd. "See ya." 

~*~*~*~

_"So you don't remember...that time...we..."_

After a long night of partying, and getting a well-deserved, good night's sleep, Quistis lay on her bed as the sun's rays seeped through the window blinds. She didn't feel like getting up just yet. That day, she and the others were to be presented with medals of honor. It was nice and all, the good things that were being done for them, but she really didn't particularly like the idea of being a "hero". All she wanted was to be an instructor again. Hopefully, with NORG and his annoying Garden Faculty servants out of the picture, she would still have another chance at it. But, she had to admit, that being a SeeD again and being able to go out without worrying about grading test papers or making a lesson plan was good. It was fun getting to know her teammates...especially a certain blonde one... She never knew he was such a legend. But one thing she really wanted to know about him...what was it that happened between them on Edea's rooftop? 

_'That time...? What could he have been talking about?'_ She then jolted upright. _'Oh my goodness! Don't tell me we...we... But could it be possible? Could we have...done it on the roof?!'_

~*~*~*~

"Hmm?" Watts watched curiously as Zell's knees bobbed up and down, up and down. "Do you need to use the bathroom, sir?" 

"Wha--???" Zell didn't realize how much he was fidgeting until Watts pointed it out. He was just sitting there, waiting for the new president of Galbadia to make the announcement that would liberate Timber, and his legs started shaking because of his impatience. He couldn't wait to finally be released from his contract with the Forest Owls and get some real action. And perhaps there was a chance he would be assigned the same mission as... 

"Thinking of your crush?" Selphie teased. 

"Wh-What?!" He stared at the small brunette. _'How did she know?! Does she know it's--'_

"Your beautiful pigtailed library girl," Selphie sighed. "Can't wait for your big date, huh?" 

"WHAT?" The martial artist exclaimed, the shock causing him to fall off his chair. "What?!" 

"Zell! Are you okay?" Rinoa asked. 

"I HAVE A DATE?!?!?!" 

"Yes!!!" Selphie replied. She held her hand to help Zell up. 

"I don't have a date!" Zell said. 

"Yeah, you do. With the library girl. Don't you remember?" 

"N-No!" 

"Everyone knows about it! Don't tell me you don't even know? All the girls in Garden have been talking about it!" 

"I don't remember making any dates!" 

"I even asked the library girl and she said you were going out tonight!" 

"Tonight?!" 

"Yeah! And unless you wanna break her heart, you'll go!" 

"I... But, I... I don't wanna do that to her..." 

"Then you have to go! She'll be waiting for you at the secret area tonight at eight." 

He turned away and whispered, "_...But...Quistis..._" 

"Hmm? Who? What?" 

"Uh..." He shook his head. "...Nothing." 

~*~*~*~

_'I wonder...if I could ever be like that with Quistis...'_ Zell could see a couple embracing each other and holding hands from the corner of his eye. He shook his head furiously and turned to lean over the balcony. _'She's late... I've been here for about fifteen minutes already...'_ He sighed and propped his chin onto the palm of his hand. _'Does Quistis know what I'm doing? Selphie said everyone knew... What does she think of me now? I'm such a loser... That's probably what she thinks of me... I'm so insignificant... She doesn't even remember...that night...'_

"Zell?" 

He turned around and saw the pigtailed library girl. He wouldn't have recognized her if she hadn't put her hair in its regular pigtailed fashion. She looked so different without her uniform. She wore a short, maroon dress, that clung to her every curve. She was extremely attractive...sexy, yet... 

"Ready to go?" she asked. 

"Um...yeah," he nodded. 

They took a taxicab to Balamb. Zell, of course, wouldn't have minded walking there for the exercise and to save some money, but more monsters tended to hang around at night. If he could defeat an evil sorceress set on the brink of world domination, then what would a couple of T-Rexaurs be to him? But seeing that there were reservations, they had to be at the restaurant on time. 

Dinner was okay. The food was great, but Zell really didn't have much of an appetite. The pigtailed library girl, whose name was _still_ unknown to the martial artist, suggested they stop by somewhere to get some hotdogs that she offered to pay for, but he declined. He just couldn't stop thinking about a certain blonde SeeD back at Garden... He continuously worried about her and was fretting over what she would think of him. What if she didn't think he liked her? He was out with someone else, of course she wouldn't think he liked her! And what if she liked him but then gave up because she saw she had no chance? He was so worried that he could hardly eat. 

"Well...it was fun, Quisty," Zell said as they stopped at her door. 

"Umm..." The pigtailed library girl seemed concerned. "Really? It didn't seem so much like it..." 

"What? Why?" 

"You seemed so...distant... It was as if you were in a whole other universe..." 

"I...I'm sorry. I just kinda spaced out." 

"Was someone else on your mind?" 

"Uh..." He felt his face get warmer. "N-No!" 

"Are you lying to me?" 

"I...I... Why would I lie to you?" 

"Well...for one thing...you called me 'Quisty'..." 

"Wh-What???!!! Why would I do that, Qui--Uh...um... N-No!!!" 

"Who's 'Quisty'?" 

"It's...no one..." 

"Are you sure? Is she someone you like?" 

"She's just someone...in my dreams..." 

"So then...you _were_ thinking of someone else?" 

"I...I, uh...yeah... I'm sorry." 

"I see." 

"I-I'm really sorry, though! I'm sorry...I wasn't thinking of you instead..." 

"I'm...I'm all right. It's good that you're honest." 

"Yeah...but still..." 

"I'll be fine." She then opened her door. "Bye, Zell." 

"Bye...uh...bye." 

~*~*~*~

He woke up earlier than usual and went to the cafeteria. 

"Just in luck, Zell!" the cafeteria lady smiled. "We've got a ton of hotdogs today! Here, help yourself," she said, dumping a mountain of hotdogs onto his tray. 

_'I just wanted one...'_ He smiled faintly. "Thanks." He went to his usual table, the one by the flowers. Quistis' usual seat was on the other side of the flowers, and he enjoyed knowing that she was right there, and it was like she was sitting just next to him. He was too shy to just go over to her and ask to sit with her so he did the best he could. Anyway, she would never want to really be seen with the likes of him... 

He sat there, shoving food into his mouth, not even paying attention to his mindless eating. He was too busy wondering where _she_ was... She was usually there, with her morning coffee and newspaper, at around seven-thirty. It was already eight-thirty, an hour after regular time, but there was no sign of her. Where could she possibly be? His thoughts were so preoccupied with her that he didn't see the girl coming up to his table... 

"Zell!" Selphie greeted, taking a seat. "What's up?" 

"Hmm?" He swallowed the food in his mouth and washed it down with some orange juice. "What do you want?" 

"The date," she replied. "So...how did it go?" 

"I dunno," he shrugged. 

"What do you mean 'you dunno'??!!! How was it???!!!" 

"It was okay." 

"And...? Are you gonna go out with her again?" 

"I...I dunno. She realized I was thinking of someone else." 

"Thinking of someone else?! What do you mean?" 

"I...I like someone else...that's all..." 

"What? I always thought you like her! Who do you like then?" 

"...Nobody..." 

"C'mon, tell me!" 

"It's...it's no one..." 

"You...! I'm gonna find out anyway so you might as well spill the beans, Zell!" 

"IT'S NOTHING, OKAY?!" 

"..." She gulped and muttered, "I just wanted to know..." 

He shook his head. Then, from behind the brunette, he could see..._her_. _'Quistis?'_ He pushed Selphie's head aside to get a better view. She wasn't at her usual table, instead she was at _Squall's_ usual table. "What's Quistis doin' way over there?" 

"Huh?" Selphie turned around. "Oh? Didn't ya know?" 

"Know what?" 

"Squall and Rinoa broke up."


	3. Like a Sister

Author's Notes: Well...I've decided to torture poor Zell and put him in a little love polygon with our favorite ex-instructor and a few other guys. You just gotta find out who they are on your own! ;-P Don't wanna spoil the fun! Enjoy! 

* * *

PART 3 Like a Sister 

"Well, last night when you were on your date, Squall and Rinoa had a big fight last night," Selphie said. "Cid assigned him to a new mission, so Squall had to cancel a lot of things this month, including the celebration of Timber's independence that Rinoa made him promise to come to. She thinks that Squall is gonna stop being with her because the contract is dissolved between SeeD and the Forest Owls. She thinks he only stayed with her because of his obligation as a SeeD." 

"He's not like that, is he?" Zell asked. 

"No, of course not!" She shook her head. "No way." 

"So then...what in the world is he doing with Quistis?!" 

"I don't know." 

"What do you mean 'I don't know'?!" 

She shrugged. "I just don't. Why? You jealous?" 

He started to blush. "Me?! Jealous?! No way! I...I was just curious!" 

"Are you... Are you..." 

Zell stared at her. She seemed skeptical. Maybe she knew...? _'Oh no, Selphie KNOWS! She's gonna tell everyone now and I'll be the whole laughing stock of...of the WORLD!!!'_

"Are you...gonna eat that hotdog? Thank you!" Selphie made a go for the remaining hotdog on his plate and quickly gobbled it down. "Hmm... Zell? Zell!" She bent down and began fanning the fainted blond. 

~*~*~*~

_'Could it be that...she's still hung up on him?'_ Zell lay on his bed, throwing a handball at the ceiling and when it fell to the floor, he didn't bother to pick it up. _'She only loves Squall as a sister, right? It couldn't be more than that... She loves everyone like a sister... So does that mean that she loves me only as a--'_

"Yo, Zell!" a deep voice called out from the hall, followed by a series of loud knocks. 

_'RAIJIN?! He's HERE??'_ Zell jumped from his bed and sprinted towards his door to open it. There they were, as plain as day...Raijin and Fujin. "Where the HELL did _you_ come from!?!" 

"What?" Raijin raised an eyebrow. "We're goin' on a mission together, ya know?" 

"But, I...I thought you left Garden!" 

"Uh...no..." 

"How 'bout that thing...that deal with Seifer and the Sorceress... How long have you been here?!" 

"Ever since the Lunatic Pandora, ya know?" 

"But I've never seen you!" 

Raijin and Fujin shrugged. "We've seen you, ya know." 

Zell's eye twitched. "And you're _SeeDs_??" 

"AFFIRMATIVE," Fujin nodded. 

"Anyway, we got a mission together, ya know?" Raijin said. "The headmaster told us to tell you, ya know?" 

"MEET. FRONT GATE." 

"Sure. Yeah... I'll see ya there." 

The two nodded and left. Zell packed a suitcase and quickly left, making sure the door was locked behind him. He stopped at Quistis' dorm, which was just near the main hallway, for a brief moment and dashed away, shaking his head to rid him of his thoughts. 

"Zell...?" 

Zell stopped and turned around. _'Quistis...'_

"Where's the fire?" she laughed. 

"Erm..." He rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "I...I'm sorry. I'm not supposed to run in the halls, right?" 

"Good to see you're following rules. What's with the suitcase? Are you leaving Garden already? Are your crazy fangirls scaring you away?" 

"N-No, it's not like that!" he protested, suddenly feeling defensive. "I..." 

"I was just kidding," she smiled. "But you've got quite the fanbase, I hear. I guess I was right." 

"I..." He blushed. "I, uh... Cid, he... I'm going on a mission..." 

"I see. Best of luck." 

"Th-Thanks..." 

"Well, we wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting, would we? Sorry if I made you late." 

"N-No!" he said, just when she was about to turn away. "Th-That's okay! A-Are..." He tried to swallow the lump in his throat. "A-Are...are you...are you going? Do you know?" 

"Um, well... I'm not sure. I've been assigned a mission but details are yet to be given. I hope we could work together again, though." 

"Me...me too..." 

"Okay, well...you should be going on now." 

"Yeah," he nodded weakly. He forced himself to look away and ran for the Front Gate without even realizing it. "See ya!" he called back breathlessly. _'Like a sister...that's all...'_

~*~*~*~

"You're late, Zell," Cid said. 

"Sorry, Sir!" Zell replied, making an effort to salute the headmaster, but his attempt turning bad. "I...I ran into someone..." 

"Certainly not anyone more important than your duty as SeeD?" 

_'Way more important...more important than you...or she'll ever know...'_ "Of course not," he lied, lowering his head. "Sorry." 

"All right then," Cid said. "Onto business." 

"Yes, Sir..." 

"Now. The new Galbadian president requests SeeD's assistance in the recent attacks on the nation. As you may have already heard, there have been some attacks on Galbadia. SeeD's job is to find out who is behind all of it and to bring the culprits under the custody of Galbadia. It's quite a serious matter and I expect you to work to the best of your abilities." 

Raijin and Fujin nodded. 

"But..." Zell began. "Just us three? If it's so serious then why're you just sending three of us?" 

"Oh no," Cid replied. "You are just one of the first few squads I'll be sending. Many more are to come." 

"Will..." The blond stopped himself and shook his head. "Forget it." 

"All right. Any questions? You will take a train to Timber, and transfer to Deling City. Go to the Hotel, ask for the key to room 789 and you will stay there until you receive a phone call. No further instructions until then. Expect the call at about 2100 hours. Until then, from the time you arrive, you're free. Zell, I assign you as the leader. I trust you will be able to do a good job?" 

"Uh...uh...uh... YEAH! YOU CAN COUNT ON ME, CID!" 

"Very well...uh...and please do address me as your headmaster, all right?" 

"Oops..." 

"Good luck in all of your efforts." 

They saluted the headmaster and went to the Parking Lot to get the Garden Car and drive to Balamb Town. 

~*~*~*~

"What do ya wanna do now, ya know?" Raijin asked, plopping down on one of the two twin sized beds in their hotel room. 

"DON'T KNOW," Fujin replied in that monotonous tone of hers. 

"What do ya wanna do, Zell?" 

"Uh...me?" Zell asked. "Well, we could go and see the city. Why don't we go eat? I'm pretty hungry." 

"Yeah, me too, ya know? What about you, Fujin?" 

"NO MATTER." 

"Okay, ya know," Raijin announced, easing himself off the bed. "Let's go eat, ya know! I'm starvin'!" 

~*~*~*~

Zell watched curiously as Raijin practically inhaled the meat buns they had ordered. It was quite a sight, to see someone who could eat just as much as him, if not more. They could have been the best of friends if Raijin had not met that jerk, Seifer, before him. What did they see in him as a friend anyway? There was not one good cell in that person's body. Seifer was a rotten egg, bad to the bone. He couldn't believe that Quistis actually put him in the same category as Squall! Although he now saw Squall as his rival for the blonde ex-instructor's affections, he still had a deep admiration for the guy and Seifer certainly did not deserve to be classified on the same level as him. No way. Seifer was always a jerk. How in the world could he have made such great friends such as Raijin and Fujin? 

"ALL RIGHT?" Fujin asked with a hint of concern. 

"Wha--?" Zell blinked at her. "Of course!" 

"NOT HUNGRY?" 

"I...uh...well..." 

"NO APPETITE? FOOD NOT GOOD?" 

"No way! I--" He stopped mid-sentence when a golden glimmer caught his eye. 

Fujin looked around and gasped. "QUISTIS?" 

"Is that...really her?" 

The silver-haired woman took some time to contemplate this and turned around to her blond companion once again. "AFFIRMATIVE," she replied nonchalantly. 

"ACK!!!" Raijin started coughing and searching for some water. "CHOKING...YA KNOW!!!" 

Zell squinted his eyes then wiped them on his shirt and turned again to look at the blonde across the street. _'What's she doing here?'_

"...**Wa**...**ter**..." Raijin wheezed. 

Fujin quietly sipped her tea, not even noticing Raijin's cries for help. By that time, his face was starting to turn a lovely shade of blue...kind of like the sky on a nice, crisp spring day. When the skies are clear, and the birds are soaring through the air, and the wondrous scent of blossoming flowers are all around. Cherry blossoms flutter as little children prance around the never-ending fields of flowers. Raijin's shade of blue really matched his outfit, too. 

_'It's Squall,'_ Zell thought as he laid eyes on the one his beloved was dragging through the streets. _'Of course it's him.'_

"**Help**...**you guys**...**ya know**..." 

"MMM," Fujin took a deep breath. "TEA GOOD." 

"I'm...cho...king..." 

_'Even...if she did just love him as a sister...she'll always love him more...'_

"**Can't**...**breathe**...** ACK! ACK!**" 

Fujin called upon a waiter to get another cup of tea. 

"**Fujin**..." 

_'But no matter how hard I try...I can't stop thinking of her...'_

"**Zell**..." 

Fujin closed her eyes and savored the taste of the wonderful tea. 

"**He**...**lp**..." 

"I...I'm such a wuss!!!" Zell got up and ran out of the restaurant. 

"ZELL!" Fujin put down her beverage and went after the martial artist. 

"...**Guys**...**ya**...**know**..." Raijin lay his head on the table and blacked out. 

~*~*~*~

"We swear, Sir, we dunno what happened to him!" Zell explained over the phone. 

"_Well, I just hope that Raijin is all right,_" Cid said. "_You're a team and you all need each other._" 

"I know." 

"_When will he be able to rejoin your group?_" 

"They said he'll be fine within the next few days...maybe tomorrow." 

"_Very well then._" 

"I'm really sorry..." 

"_I know you are, Zell. But...I believe it would be best if I just have your team work with one of our other teams there. A group with more...experience per se. Then if I feel you can handle it on your own, I will reinstate you to your position as the leader of your group. But, for now, wait for the call and I will contact you sometime soon._" 

"...I...I... Yes...Sir..." 

"_Good. Now, please don't get anyone else in the hospital until then? Be careful._" 

"Yes, Sir..." 

"_Good day, Zell._" 

Zell hung up the phone and slumped down, face into the pillows, onto his bed. 

"ALL RIGHT?" Fujin asked. 

"I'm a sucky leader!" Zell said, his face buried in the soft, fluffy pillows. 

"NOT TRUE." 

"Yeah, I am! I almost got Raijin killed! I ran off from the restaurant, not knowing that Raijin was gonna get himself almost killed after that!" 

"HIS FAULT." 

"I shoulda been there! To help him! I SUCK!!! I was too busy...thinking about..." 

"HMM...?" 

"I...never mind..." 

"THINKING? ABOUT...?" 

"Nothing..." 

"...INSTRUCTOR?" 

Zell began to feel a heat spread all over him. From his face, and throughout his whole body. Thank goodness his face was covered, or else Fujin would have instantly known. Or maybe...she already did...? He kept quiet. 

"...LOVE AFFAIR." 

_'...Hmm? What the hell is she talking about?'_

"...SEIFER." 

_'WHAT?'_

"INSTRUCTOR...AND SEIFER." 

"WHAT?!" Zell lifted his face from the cushions and stared at her. 

"SEIFER...and that Instructor used to be together," Fujin said. Zell's eyes widened up more at this. Fujin...was talking _normally_? It was probably something serious. The only other time he heard her speak like that was at the Lunatic Pandora, to tell her friend of the big mistake he was making. 

"I think he was around sixteen," she continued. "Every summer, me, Raijin and him would go FH, where Raijin's grandpa lives. He's the Master Fisherman of FH, and we would go with him to fish. That summer, we went here, to Deling City. Seifer and Raijin had a race to see who could make it to the bus station first. 

"Seifer won...but he tripped on his coat in the process and landed right in front of a bus that was coming up. He wasn't really that tall...just about five foot seven then, so his coat was kinda long for him, and he tripped on it. He would've died, too, if this blonde girl in a SeeD uniform didn't come by and get him out of the way in time. He acted angry and started yelling at Quistis about how she was ruinin' his vacation, but for the rest of the summer, we couldn't get him to shut up about this girl he liked. We only found out a little while later that it was her. Raijin 'accidentally' let the cat out of the bag, but that's also when we found out that she liked him, too. 

"We made him ask her out and they had a little love affair. They had to be extra quiet about it when Quistis became an instructor and it didn't take too long when they decided to see other people. We realized it was officially over after that last summer in Timber." 

"So...s-so you're sayin'...they were together!?" Zell exclaimed, not even realizing that he was still blushing. 

"That's _exactly_ what I was sayin'." 

"Do you...do you think...she still likes him that way?" 

"I dunno. I think the reason they wanted to see other people was because she was paying too much attention to Squall. He was always complainin' about that..." 

"Squall...of course..." 

"...?" Fujin yawned. "Anyway, I think I'll be goin' to sleep early. Wake me up when they call." She went under the covers and fell asleep. 

_'So...Quistis was with that jerk... What...what did she see in him!? What did Raijin...Fujin see in him!? Squall...Seifer... How could I ever compete with them? She'll never love me...not like them... Only...like a sister...'_


	4. One Dark Knight

Author's Notes: Okay, nothing much to say... Hope you like! Do you have any idea who's in the love polygon? 

* * *

PART 4 One Dark Knight 

Zell grabbed a towel and ran for the phone. _'Damn! I knew I shouldn't have taken a shower at this time!'_ He slipped on the puddle of water on the bathroom floor and struggled to get up as fast as he could. Luckily, when he finally got back to his feet, Fujin had already woken up and answered the phone. 

"YES?" She saw the towel-clad Zell come in and handed him the receiver. 

"_Room 789?_" the man on the other line inquired. 

"Yeah," Zell replied. 

"_SeeD?_" 

"Yes." 

"_Good. These are your orders: Report to Presidential Residence at 1000 hours tomorrow. Be prompt. Details of your mission will be given out there._" And with that, he hung up. 

"SAY WHAT?" Fujin said. 

"We go to the Presidential Residence and arrive there by 1000 hours." 

"AFFIRMATIVE." 

"Okay...so I guess that's it. Let's get some sleep." 

~*~*~*~

The next day, Zell and Fujin left the hotel after having a hearty breakfast. They stopped by the hospital and picked up Raijin, who recovered quickly after nearly choking to death. He didn't speak to them and pretended not to see them when they came in, but after being given a peace offering of a bag of meat buns, he decided to forgive and forget. Of course, they also had to agree to go fishing with him after the mission, but they had to work as a team and it would be difficult if one of them refused to cooperate. 

When they arrived at the Presidential Residence, they found Irvine with a group of people there. 

"Hey, Zell!" Irvine greeted with a tip of his hat. 

"What're you doin' here?" Zell asked. "You're on that mission, too?" 

"Yep," the cowboy replied. "All the Gardens are involved in it. Galbadia, Balamb, Trabia. The new president wants everyone involved." 

"Is it really serious?" 

"Not yet...but the president wants it to be stopped as soon as possible." 

A man then came out of the Residence. "Are you all SeeD?" 

"Yes," a blonde woman came up and answered. Quistis. Zell's felt his stomach do flip flops and he suddenly didn't feel too well. 

"Oh, whaddya know," Irvine said. "Quistis is here, too. I didn't see her there!" 

"Come in then," the man said. "The President is waiting." 

~*~*~*~

"Good day, SeeDs," the President greeted. "I hope you all got a good night's sleep. Well, first of all, I'm sure you know that there have been attacks on Galbadia and its people. Two of our naval ships have been bombed, and a shooting right here in Deling City occurred just two weeks ago. We have reason to believe that a 'sorceress cult'--believers in the sorceresses--are behind this, or at least involved with the incidents. 

"Your duties will be divided by which Garden you are from. Those from Galbadia Garden will be working with our soldiers. SeeDs from Trabia Garden will be working with our investigation unit. And those from Balamb Garden, you will be working undercover as civilians and will be on the lookout for anything that will help us in our inquiry. Do I make myself clear then?" 

The SeeDs, all in one perfectly straight line, saluted to show their understanding of the situation. 

"Now, if anyone has any questions, I will answer them in our meeting tomorrow. Until then, be careful and don't get yourself into trouble!" 

~*~*~*~

"MMM," Fujin sighed. "TEA GOOD." 

They were at that restaurant again, having lunch. Raijin was chowing down on meat buns, carefully this time, and Fujin was drinking the wonderful tea. Zell...well, his plate had a hot dog on it. And the surprising thing was that that was what he had started with. He finally took it and chewed at it slowly. 

_'Working undercover as a civilian,'_ Zell thought, reflecting back on the president's words. _'It'll be a cinch... But...working with her...'_

"TEA?" Fujin asked, offering the blond a cup of warm green tea. 

"Uh...no thanks," Zell shook his head. 

"How 'bout summa this, ya know?" Raijin said, handing him a half-eaten meat bun. 

"Er...no..." 

The dark-skinned man shrugged. "Suit yourself, ya know." 

_'I have to tell her,'_ the martial artist resolved. _'I can't work like this...thinking about her every waking moment! I have to get everything off my chest so I can concentrate on what's important here. My mission. This hot dog.'_

"Hey, Zell!" 

_'Huh? Irvine? What's he doin' here?'_ He didn't look back to see the cowboy, but he could hear the clanking of his boots as he approached their table. 

"Yo," Raijin mumbled, offering his half-eaten meat bun. 

"Um...maybe later," Irvine replied. 

"Geez," Raijin whispered to his silver-haired friend. "When I finally wanna share my food, no one wants them, ya know?" 

"...IDIOT." 

"Hmm... Ya want some, Instructor, ya know?" 

_'Instructor?!'_ Zell's head whipped around and he saw Irvine with an arm lazily draped around the shoulders of his one and only. 

"No thank you, Raijin," Quistis laughed, slapping away the cowboy's hand. 

"H-How..." Zell blushed and turned to focus on his plate. "How did you know we were here?" 

"Easy," Irvine said, ruffling the young man's spiky blond locks. "Chocobos are pretty rare around these parts." 

"What?!" the flustered teen sprung to his feet and put up his dukes. "Ya wanna try that again, _punk_?" 

"Whoa!" Irvine threw his hands up in the air. "Chill, man! I was just jokin'!" 

"...Oh." 

"Hey, why so jumpy all the sudden?!" 

"I..." His eyes caught Quistis' for a second and he shook his head. "...Forget it." 

"Okay, so like, you know we're havin' that meeting tomorrow, right?" 

"Of...o-of course! What, ya think I'm stupid!?" 

"Okay, sorry, man! What the heck's up with you, anyway?" 

"I...I don't know! I said to just forget it!" He pushed the sharpshooter aside and ran out of the restaurant, ignoring the calls of the people behind him. 

~*~*~*~

_'What the hell's wrong with me?'_ Zell thought angrily at himself, his eyes beginning to moisten. After the incident at the restaurant, he rushed back to the hotel in hopes that having some time alone would clear his mind. Blinded by fury and confusion, he wasn't able to open the door and when it finally did open, it was because Squall had done so. Squall was inside the room and opened the door just when the blond was about to scream in frustration. He was gone now, and that left Zell to his thinking on the bed. 

_'I go crazy when I see her, and I think of her when I don't. I used to be able to control my feelings...and now, they're starting to take control of **me**... I just...I just can't stop thinking about her with that bastard Seifer! ...And Squall...'_

"You stupid asshole!" he screamed, sitting up from the bed. 

"Oh!" 

He rolled over and saw her by the doorway. 

"I'm sorry," Quistis said softly. "I didn't think anyone would be here." 

"_Damn_..." he mumbled to himself. "...This is your room, isn't it?" 

"Um...yes...as a matter of fact..." 

It hit him. _'No wonder Squall was here!'_ He wanted to be alone so much then that he didn't even realize he was in the wrong room. He thought Squall was there for some other reason...not because it was his room! So if he was in Squall's room, it also meant that... _'I'm in Quistis' room!'_

"I, um," Quistis began. "I was going to...but now... Okay, I'll just leave you alone now..." 

"Wait!" 

"Hm? Yes? Anything wrong, Zell?" 

"I..." He got up on his feet and gazed at her longingly. "Quistis...what I wanted to say... I-I've been wanting to get this off my chest for a very long time... I think I've been this way ever since I could remember... The thing is... I... I-I..." _'...I'm crazy about you.'_

"Are you all right? What is it?" 

"I...I am..." _'...I'm head over heels for you.'_

"Zell, if you have something to tell me, just tell me." 

"I am..." _'...I am in love with you!'_ "I-I'm in...I...I..." 

"Just tell me." 

"I...I am in love with Squall!" 

"H-Huh?!" She began to nibble thoughtfully at her bottom lip as she registered the small, yet surprising bit of information. The realization of what he had just said dawned on him. He had meant to say her name, not Squall's! Zell stared at her while she pondered his words, and he tried to think up of some way to tell her of what he really wanted to say. 

Drawing in a long breath, Quistis finally spoke, thus disallowing Zell his chance to take back his words. "Well...I'm glad you confided in me, Zell." 

"I'm sorry..." he said, his voice low and almost inaudible. 

"Why would you be sorry?" she asked, concern reflected in her clear azure orbs. 

"I should have told you sooner!" He didn't want to lie to her, but the words just spilled out from his mouth. It was like a reflex, one to hide his true feelings. "I know that you...love...him..." 

"What?" He saw a hint of pink in her cheeks. "Was it...really that obvious?" 

He nodded solemnly. "...I know how you feel. When I'm around the one I love...it's tough, knowing that you--I mean..._he_ would never feel the same way." 

"No, you've got it all wrong! I don't care for him that way!" 

"What!? Th-Then...I mean... Then who do you care for that way?" Suddenly, he was beginning to feel hopeful. A little, maybe. But his heart was weighed back down again, knowing that it was most likely, not him. 

"I can't really say right now..." 

"Oh..." 

"But...that aside, with what you've told me... So you wouldn't mind if I take a bath then? Then maybe we could do something together?" 

"Y-Y-Y-Y..." He paused and felt something warm and wet trickle from his nose...was he having a nosebleed? He hastily covered his nose and spun around. "Y-You really wanna?" 

"Sure. Just sit down and I'll be ready before you know it." 

"Great!" He waved a hand and sat down on the bed. He could hear the rustling of clothing as Quistis looked through the drawers and his bloody nose got even bloodier from thinking about the love of his life undressing right behind him. 

"Don't go anywhere," she said, and he heard a door shut. When he heard water running, he felt it was safe to assume that she was in the shower and he began his frantic search for something to clean up his bloody mess. It was getting worse now, with the sounds coming from the bathroom and the..._images_...in his head. He finally found a box of tissues on the dresser. As he wiped his face and hands, he saw in the mirror Quistis' neatly folded clothes on the bed he had occupied. It was that peach combat attire of course, they were unmistakably hers. That outfit was a trademark of hers and... 

_'I was on Quistis' bed!!!'_ His eyes widened at the realization and he grabbed a handful of tissues. A few minutes, and several bloody tissues later, Zell calmed himself down and got the bleeding to stop. He walked over to the bed and stared down at the clothes. The temptation was too much... 

He took the cream-colored shirt with both hands and buried his face into the soft fabric. She wasn't like Selphie or Rinoa, who practically bathed themselves and their clothes in "exotic" perfumes, so her scent wasn't at all noticeable. But when he found that light, sweet fragrance, he lost all his senses and the sudden uncontrollability caused him to instantly drop the piece of clothing. 

_'I can't take this anymore!'_ He ran for the door and grabbed his sneakers along the way. 

"Zell?" Quistis called, poking her head out from the bathroom, just when Zell's hand landed on the doorknob. 

_'Damn,'_ he cursed in his mind. _'That was fast.'_

"Are you going somewhere?" 

"I..." He turned and just froze. 

"Do you need to be somewhere?" she asked, her left hand pushing a damp piece of hair behind her ear as her right hand kept a firm grip on the fuzzy white towel, which was, truth be told, the only thing covering her body. He could only do so much to hold back another nosebleed. 

"Could I use your bathroom?" he asked. 

"Of course." 

"Thanks." He, very slowly, made his way to the bathroom, all the time keeping his back to the confused young woman. Once he got there, he slammed the door shut and made sure it was locked. 

_'I've never been so embarrassed in my life!'_ he thought, so angry he could punch himself. _'She believes I love Squall... What am I gonna do now?'_ He splashed himself with ice cold water, and took a minute to inhale her sweet, refreshing aroma, still painfully present in the warm, moist air. _'She said she didn't care for him that way... But she likes some other guy... It...it couldn't be me... Irvine? Hell no! ...Seifer? So it's Seifer... She still loves him...'_

He sighed, turned off the faucet and opened the door to see that Quistis was already there and dressed up. 

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly. He nodded weakly and she smiled. "I'll just fix my hair." 

"Sure," he answered dully. His eyes followed her as she went into the bathroom and began drying her hair. He was captivated as her rich, golden tresses were tousled by the hot wind from the blowdryer, groomed neatly with a black metal hairbrush, then finally styled in its usual updo. 

_'Quistis.'_ He lowered his eyes. _'I...I wish I could tell you...but I just can't say it...in words...'_ He had no idea why he had said Squall's name instead of hers back a few moments ago, but he decided he would let her believe that...for the time being, at least. Until he could tell how he felt for her in words. 

~*~*~*~

"Here," Quistis said, taking a hanger from the rack and handing it to her companion. "Try this on." 

_'You've gotta be kidding me.'_ Zell took the light-blue dress shirt with ruffles from her and looked it over. He almost immediately returned it to the rack. "Quistis...when you said you wanted to go shopping to get a new look, I didn't mean you meant me too. We've been shopping for the last hour for my clothes... I mean, I'm not _that_ noticeable, am I?" 

"Well..." She playfully messed with his blond hair. "You don't see so much Chocobos around Deling City, do you?" 

He blushed and tried to flatten down his bright, yellow, Chocobo-like spikes. 

"And..." She pointed to her left cheek. "The tattoo?" 

"Wh-What?" He slapped a hand over his own cheek. "Okay. Fine. Yeah, yeah, so I'm not the most _'normal'_ guy in the world but I like bein' different!" 

"That's my favorite part about you," she smiled. "But you'll have to settle for being normal this time, okay?" 

"...Yeah...that's right." 

"Here, just try this one outfit." 

"Er...no." 

~*~*~*~

_'Man...how humiliating...'_ Zell sighed as a tall, young redhead blow-dried his hair, and four other girls worked on his nails. He was the only male in that beauty salon...except for the drag queen in the next seat, but he really didn't count. _'I just hope I'll see my spikes again...'_

Quistis had suggested going to the parlor after a good five hours of shopping. He was reluctant, but he agreed anyway. There was something about Quistis. He'd rarely seen her let loose, and that little shopping spree had given Zell the opportunity to see the happier, lighter side of Quistis. It was definitely worth it to see her like that. If it was Selphie, however, the situation would be much different. He'd be out of sight before she could even say 'Booyaka'. Selphie was a bundle of immeasurable energy and being stuck with her for five straight hours would be comparable to baby-sitting a roomful of kindergartners...that had been cloned about seven times... Speaking of a certain spunky, five foot one and a half teenager... 

"Zell! Is that you!?" 

"Huh?" He turned and recognized his hyperactive brunette friend in the blink of an eye. "Selphie!?!" He jumped out of the chair and rushed over to the girl to make sure he wasn't seeing things. 

"Hiya!" Selphie greeted. "Wow, Zell, your hair is beautiful! It looks so much silkier and shinier and softer and so full of life!" 

"Ya really think so?! Well, they used this shampoo that fully revitalizes your hair and--hey, wait a second, what am I talkin' about--what are you doin' here?!" 

"She's with me," a familiar girl looked up from the _Pet Pals_ magazine she was reading. "Hi, Zell!" 

"Hey, Rinoa," Zell nodded. 

"Besides," whispered Selphie, "I'm on that mission as an undercover SeeD." 

"Hm? But I didn't see you at the meeting." 

"Well, not everyone was there." 

"And, Rinoa, why're you here? Aren't you supposed to be in Timber?" 

"I..." She seemed to hesitate. "Well, Deling City is still my hometown, and I wanted to make sure it was safe." 

"And she's my shopping buddy!" Selphie happily added in. "Silly Zell, you don't think I'd go shopping without her!" 

"O-Of course not!" 

"Anyway, what are _you_ doing here?" 

"It's a unisex salon, I got the right!" 

"You're finally convinced of how tacky those spikes of yours are... I knew you'd come to your senses after I've bugged you about it long enough." 

"**No**, I--" 

"He's with me," a tall, gorgeous woman with long, luscious strawberry blonde curls interrupted. 

"Wh-What?" Zell stuttered. "Wh-Who are you?!" 

"Hm?" The young lady cocked her head inquiringly. 

"You don't know who she is?" Selphie laughed. "It's Quisty!" She threw her arms around her friend and hugged her tight. 

"Q-Quistis?!" Zell stumbled backwards from the shock. Well, she did look kind of like Quistis, but her hair was so different and... He looked at her eyes. A lovely milk chocolate color. He already missed those sky blue orbs of his golden-haired angel. 

"Are you done already?" Quistis asked. 

"Um..." He looked over to the five girls who were waiting for him. "Uh...not really..." He grinned sheepishly and trotted back to the chair. 

"So what's with your new look?" Rinoa asked. 

"Trying to impress your new lover boy?" Selphie teased. 

"**What?**" Quistis shook her head, the action causing her luxurious curls to be tossed around. "I don't know what you mean by that." 

"You know," Selphie rolled her eyes over to a certain blond, "...him." 

"You've got it all wrong. What I do is of a professional nature, nothing more. I got this makeover so I wouldn't attract any attention to myself." 

The two girls looked at each other then out at the young men ogling the strawberry blonde-haired goddess with their faces pressed against the window. 

"So you wouldn't attract any attention, huh?" Selphie said, raising an eyebrow. 

~*~*~*~

"Hey, Miss, wanna date?" 

"Good day, pretty lady!" 

"Woah, lookin' good!" 

"Wanna visit heaven with me?!" 

"Marry me!!!" 

As soon as Quistis stepped out of the parlor, the men who were admiring her from outside began to follow her, and soon after, were joined by a handful of others. They followed her everywhere, to the stores, the restaurants and when Zell decided he was going to use the men's washroom, Quistis practically begged to come in with him because she knew she would be stuck with the group of what seemed like, newly recruited Trepies. He couldn't take it anymore and seeing how uncomfortable Quistis was, decided to do something about the long line of adorers. 

"Okay! **That's it!**" The teenaged boy's voice was so loud, so powerful, that it could make a mighty T-Rexaur's roar seem more like a dying Grat's whine. It seemed that everyone within a two-mile radius stopped what they were doing to see what all the commotion was about. 

Despite the strange looks he was being given, he continued. "I've had enough of this," he announced. "Leave. My. _Girlfriend_. **Alone!!!**" He glared at the group of men, the expression on his face showing far more than minor irritation. 

"Why doncha _**make**_ me?" A tall man with light brown hair and muscles in his arms larger than most newborn babies, stepped up. "Bring it on, pretty boy--**oof**!" 

Zell's eyes widened at the amazing display of strength. 'Whoa...' 

"Ow..." The burly man dropped to his knees and keeled over, clutching his stomach. 

Quistis held her head high in the air triumphantly. "You'd better hope I didn't break any of my nails or I'm afraid I'll have to slug you again." 

"Come on, dear," Quistis said, grabbing Zell's arm. "Let's go." 

~*~*~*~

"Hm...Squall...?" 

"What is it, Quistis?" 

It was a day later, and they were at the Presidential Residence for the meeting. They were told that the president was still in a meeting with someone, and they waited patiently. Quistis gestured out the window to a group of soldiers by the gates. 

"What are those soldiers doing out there?" she asked. 

"The President made an appointment with one of the Galbadian Army's generals. That troop is probably accompanying him on his trip to the new missile base." 

"Oh." 

"Hey, Quisty! Squall!" Selphie greeted. "Squall, have some of this parfait!" She took a spoonful of the dessert and shoved it into the startled teen's mouth. "You like it? Come on, let's get some more!" She grabbed his hand and dragged him off somewhere. 

Quistis pushed a blonde curl away from her eyes and put on her glasses so that she could get a clearer view of a certain soldier that caught her attention. He unsheathed his sword and made a strange, yet familiar movement. He held his sword straight up in the air and slowly brought it down...in some sort of salute. 

_'Who is that guy?'_ Quistis wondered. 

"SeeDs, the president is waiting for you. Please enter." 

~*~*~*~

He sighed. He had seen them talking again back at the Presidential Residence...Quistis and Squall. Maybe she still did love him but denied it. She always seemed so much fonder of him... 

"You okay, Zell, ya know?" Raijin asked, sitting up from the bed he and the martial artist took turns in sleeping on. 

"Yeah," Zell sighed. "I'm okay." 

Then, there was a knock on the door. Fujin put her book down on the table to answer its caller. 

"Good evening," Quistis greeted with a bow. "May we come in?" 

Fujin looked past the tall blonde to the two other behind her and nodded. "STATE BUSINESS," she said as they entered the hotel room. 

"We're here to discuss what we are to do for this mission," Quistis replied. "As leader, it is my duty to explain the details of our assignment and mission objectives." 

"ALREADY KNOW." 

"Are you sure?" She looked over to the two other guys and they nodded. "All right then, I'll tell you about my plans. Everybody will need some kind of disguise so no one stands out. Then--" 

She was interrupted by the phone. 

"Hello?" Zell picked up the phone, wondering who would call at that time. "Yeah, she's here. It's for you, Quistis." 

"Um..." Quistis took the phone. "This is Quistis Trepe. Yes... Oh my! That's terrible! Sure, we'll be there right away. Good bye." 

"What happened?" Selphie asked. 

"A troop being sent to the Galbadian Missile Base... There was a surprise attack and they're at the hospital." 

~*~*~*~

"General Caraway and his troop were on their way to the base when a bomb was suddenly dropped on them," the doctor explained, whom was one of the president's special aides. "No one was killed but pretty much all of them were severely injured." 

"Why would they do that?" Selphie wondered out loud. 

"General Caraway is one of the army's top strategists," Squall said. "With him out of the picture, whoever is behind all of this would get an advantage over them." 

"That soldier," Quistis told the doctor, looking over to the soldier occupying the last bed. "Why is he still in his uniform?" 

"I haven't the slightest idea," the doctor responded. "He's a strange one. We managed to bandage his wounds on the way here but when we tried to fix his leg, he wouldn't let us. His leg and perhaps, his arm, are broken, but he refuses our help. He prefers to keep his uniform on, with the helmet and everything..." 

"He needs treatment, doesn't he?" 

"Of course. Or else the broken bones in his body will not grow back properly." 

"Let me see if I can do something..." 

"But Miss Trepe, he's quite aggressive! You mustn't--" 

It was too late. Determined, Quistis went on her way over to the soldier. 

"Excuse me," she said. The soldier looked up and then began to turn his head, but only for a second. He then looked away again and sat on his bed, motionless. "I hope you're listening...and you can understand me, because this is very important. You need to let the doctors help you, because if you don't, you might not be the same again. They can help you." 

The soldier seemed unaffected by her words. He just sat there, with no response whatsoever. 

"Be careful, Miss Trepe..." the doctor warned as the others gathered by the foot of the bed, making sure to keep their distance. 

"Let me see your face," Quistis said softly. She placed her fingers at the base of his helmet then felt the soldier's hands go up to hers. It was that way for a while until he let go and she gradually lifted the helmet off his head. First, she saw his nose, then a strange mark next to it. The mark ran across his face, past his dark green eyes and stopped by a golden brow, which matched perfectly with his golden head of hair. 

"...Seifer?!"


End file.
